


The Budding Friendship of Poe and Millicent

by IggyLikesPie



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Crack, Gen, Millicent is a little shit but we all love her, Professor Hux, Technician Kylo, musician poe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-18
Updated: 2016-02-18
Packaged: 2018-05-21 07:51:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,759
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6043885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IggyLikesPie/pseuds/IggyLikesPie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Poe and Bren have been roommates for six years, if Poe can't take care of Millicent by now there's no saving him.</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="http://jeahtastic.tumblr.com/post/139149903589/modern-au-poe-is-huxs-sloppy-musician-roommate">Inspired by jeahtastic's gifs on tumblr.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	The Budding Friendship of Poe and Millicent

**Author's Note:**

  * For [jeahtastic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jeahtastic/gifts).



**8:27AM**

 

"Are you sure you'll be okay with Millie for the day?"

 

Brendol was such a worry wart - Poe had  _got this_. Besides, how hard was it to look after a cat for one day?

 

"We'll be fine, Bren, won't we, Mil?" He looked down from where he was stirring his coffee to the ginger cat leisurely wrapping herself around his ankles.

 

"Yeow." 

 

"See, Mil agrees." Poe beamed over at his roommate. Without his standard dark peacoat and his hair slicked back, Brendol looked small - well, as small as anyone who was 6' 1" could look anyway - his narrow eyed look of suspicion was as cold as ever, though.

 

"If you're sure-"

 

"Of _course_ I am! How long have we been living together now?"

 

"Almost six years."

 

"Exactly, I know how to handle Millie."

 

Brendol still didn't look convinced. "Maybe I should call Phas, I'm sure she wouldn't mind and she's done it before."

 

"Brendol Hux Junior, I can handle anything your cat can throw my way." Poe picked up his coffee, stepped over Millicent, and lightly pushed Bren out of the kitchen and in the direction of his room. "Now go and get ready for your date."

 

That changed Brendol's train of thought. "It's not a date! This is business and, besides, he's an arse and completely not my type." the ginger bristled and practically stomped to his room down the hall, the door shutting with slightly more force than was usual.

 

Poe looked down at Millicent and sighed "Denial." 

 

 

**9:34AM**

 

"He's late." Bren muttered, pacing a groove into the floor in their small living room.

 

Poe sat on the couch, his guitar across his lap, looking up at Bren. He was tempted to snort _'Not a date, my ass'_ but didn't want to risk the wrath of his roommate. College professor or not, Poe knew that Brendol could be a nasty piece of work when irritated - even if he didn't know that he was meant to put his arms through the sleeves of his coat, apparently.

 

"Relax, Bren, Mr Emo IT Technician will get here eventually."

 

The red-head huffed and sat in the arm chair to the right of the sofa, Millicent instantly jumping onto his knee. "Stupid Kylo, I shouldn't have to put up with this should I, Mil? No, no I shouldn't."

 

"You do know that's not his real name, right?" Poe had known 'Kylo' since they'd both been little and was still had trouble putting the boy he'd known and the man he'd seen together as the same person.

 

"Of course I know. However, 'Ben Organa-Solo' would attract too much attention and I'm pretty sure the dean has been put under pressure from Senator Organa to let Ren get on with whatever it is he does at the university when he's not holding my laptop hostage."

 

Poe smiled at the mental image of the small senator glaring down Snoke, the university dean. "Still, he doesn-" He was interrupted by a knocking at the door.

 

"Off, off, Mil, _off_!" Hux managed to persuade his cat onto the floor and looked in the mirror above the fireplace to straighten his already perfect hair. He brushed a few ginger hairs from his coat and black shirt before striding over to the door, opening it to reveal Kylo/Ben/the university IT technician clad in his biking leathers with his helmet under his arm. "You're late." Brendol commented.

 

Kylo rolled his eyes. "Nice to see you too, Hux."

 

"Hey, Ky!" Poe called, leaning over the back of the sofa to look through the door into the hall.

 

"Hi, Poe." Kylo raised a hand in a slightly awkward wave.

 

Brendol moved passed Kylo and out of the flat, the biker following him, but his head popped back through the door a second later. "Don't let her scratch the skirting-"

 

"I know-"

 

"And don't let her sleep in the sink-"

 

_"I know-"_

 

"And don't give her cream-"

 

"Get out, Bren!" Poe shouted, a grin spread across his face. His roommate was such a mother hen.

 

 

**10:54AM**

 

"Okay, so Bren said you need to take these..." Poe looked at the bottle. No way in Hell was he ever going to be able to pronounce what was written on the side, it looked like someone had bashed the keyboard. To be fair, he didn't actually know what they were for, only that Mil had to have them. Inside the bottle were squidgy-looking orange capsules, two of which had to go into Millicent's food.

 

Poe emptied a tin of 'Tuna Tasty' into the white bowl Bren always gave Millie her food in and hid two of the tablets amid the lumps of fish.

 

"Here you go, Mil, eat up." The ginger tabby meowed a little before starting to eat, her tail swishing lazily.

 

  
_This isn't so hard_ , Poe thought, leaning against the kitchen counter, brushing his hand over his chin. He should probably shave soon. 

 

That could wait, though, and he instead reached back into the cupboard for the tub of fish feed and was about to go to the tank in the corner of the living room when Millicent started hissing.

 

Looking back, Poe found she had plucked one of the orange capsules from her food and was hissing at it, her fur standing on end.

 

"No, come on Millie, you need to eat that." Poe went to put the tablet back in her food but she turned her glare at him.

 

"Tsssss!"

 

"Mil, I need t-" 

 

Millicent ran between his legs as he crouched and he tilted forwards to watch her run on instinct, his head hitting the cupboard in front of him as he tried.

 

"Shit! Ah, Millie!" he shouted, rubbing his head as he staggered after the cat.

 

He found her curled up on the window sill in the living room, the light pouring in from outside making her seem almost angelic as her tail slowly swayed back and forth.

 

"If you don't eat them, Bren will kill me so come on." Poe went to pick her up but she stood and moved down the ledge towards the-

 

"Fuck." The third window was open. "Don't you dare."

 

Millicent looked up at him. If she could speak, she'd probably say something like 'Try me, human.' A slight nudge of her head against the window and it was wide enough for her to squeeze through.

 

"Millicent, no." She had one paw outside now, on the ledge ringing the apartment's exterior. "Come back." Two paws and her head. "Stop right now." Only her hind legs and tail were still inside. "Can you not?" Nope, she was outside, trotting along the ledge like she wasn't about to give Poe a heart attack.

 

The dark haired man threw open the window and half climbed out himself, the ledge only just side enough for him to balance his torso on. He really regretted living on the ninth floor now.

 

"You're never like this with Bren now get back here."

 

She sat down just out of Poe's reach and began _grooming herself_.

 

"Millicent, I swear to-"

 

"Poe?"

 

Beyond Millicent, leaning out of the window for the apartment over, was Finn. Dammit, Poe was meant to be the hot guitar player and rally racer next door, not the crazy neighbour who got caught lying out of a window trying to grab a cat.

 

"Hey, Finn." Poe grinned as best as he could despite his position. "What's up?"

 

"You, er, look a little... busy? Anything I can help with?" Finn asked and, wait, was that Poe's hoodie he lost in the laundry room the other week he was wearing??

 

Whatever, that could wait.

 

"Millicent here just doesn't want to take her meds." Poe gestured to the cat.

 

"Ah." Finn said, as if this was a likely outcome from that statement. "I'll get Rey, maybe she'll know how to get Millicent back in." And he disappeared into his own apartment to find his own roommate.

 

"Now you're making me look bad in front of Finn, you can bet your ginger hide I'm telling Bren about all this."

 

"Mrow."

 

"I'll 'mrow' you, you little-"

 

"Soooo, what's the problem?" Rey leant out of the window, casually leaning her head in her hands, elbows on the ledge.

 

"Millicent has decided she wants some fresh air."

 

Rey sighed. "Oh, Mil, come on. _Tch tch_ , come on."

 

Millicent stood up and stretched as Rey clicked her tongue and reached out towards the ginger menace. After yawning a little, Millicent apathetically sauntered over to Rey and butted her arm with her head.

 

"I'll bring her over." Rey smiled, lifting the cat into her arms and disappearing from sight.

 

Two minutes later, Rey was handing Millie to Poe at the door with a smile. "You owe me one, Dameron."

 

After shutting the door, and then checking all the windows, Poe put Millicent back down in front of her food.

 

She seemed perfectly happy to eat it now.

 

 

**12:03PM**

 

Poe finished sprinkling fish feed in the tank and then closed the lid. BB-8, his clown fish, immediately came to eat while C-3PO, a yellow tang, and R2-D2, a blue and white discus fish, were slower to come to the food. They were getting old now, Poe had to admit.

 

He put the tub of food back in the kitchen and went back to the living room only to find Millicent perched on the table next to the aquarium, pawing at the glass.

 

"Mil, no, come down." 

 

She began hissing as BB-8 swam repeatedly past the glass she was pawing at.

 

"And you can stop winding her up." He pointed at the orange and white fish and then picked up the cat, who tried to wriggle free and back to the table.

 

A scratch to the cheek and Poe dropped her onto the sofa. She blinked at her new surroundings for a moment before-

 

"Really?" His guitar had been resting at the far end, completely minding its own business, and Millicent had chosen to curl up on top of it. "Oh come on, I need to work on my new song." Poe was caught between stomping his foot and crying. 

 

She was never like this with Bren!

 

Millie stretched a little, her claws extending and Poe feared for the strings and polished wood.

 

"Okay, okay, stay there, just- just don't hurt my guitar. Or move. Or just... anything." He moved his hands around, open palmed, in front of him to demonstrate what he meant.

 

 

**12:41PM**

 

There was a knock at the door and Poe looked up from his notebook, pencil ceasing to twirl in his hands. He narrowed his eyes at the white wood when he saw that the sound had woken Millicent.

 

He opened the door to find a delivery man holding out a parcel, a clipboard under his arm.

 

Poe took the box and was then handed the clipboard and a pen. "I just need you to sign for it here." he pointed to a box next to their flat number.

 

"Sure, sure, thanks." He handed back the clipboard and pen and bid him goodbye. He shut the door and checked the label on top:  _Mr B Hux II_. Something for Bren then.

 

Poe set the package on the coffee table in the living room and- where was Millicent?

 

"Millicent?" he called, checking every corner and common place she'd normally be in. Not in the living room, nor the kitchen-slash-dining room, nor Bren's bedroom. She wasn't even in Poe's room, the bathroom, or the hallway closet.

 

That meant- oh shit.

 

Flinging open the door, Poe debated whether she would have gone up or down. Taking a chance, he ran down the steps two at a time, checking each landing as he went.

 

Eighth floor, no. Seventh floor, no. Sixth, no. Fifth, fourth, third, second, first, no, no, no, no. He reached the ground floor lobby and OH THANK WHATEVER FORCE WAS WATCHING OVER HIM!

 

There was Millie, sitting casually on the table beneath the mailboxes, being petted by Jessika Pava, a friend from his rally track.

 

"Hey, Jess." he panted, leaning against the wall and resisting the urge to glare at the cat.

 

"Heya, Poe, is she yours?" Jess asked, scratching under Millie's chin.

 

"My roommate's, actually, but I'm taking care of her today; she just managed to give me the slip." Once again, Poe pulled Millicent into his arms.

 

"Ah, so this is the pet of 'General Ginger'."

 

"What?" 

 

Jess grinned as she unlocked her mailbox and pulled out a stack of letters. "My cousin's on your friend's poli-sci course, says he runs his classroom like a military base."

 

Poe laughed. "I honestly wouldn't be surprised."

 

"I'll see you on the track, Dameron, I hope your car fairs better this time." She patted his shoulder as she headed to the stairs. 

 

"You can count on it, Pava." he called before turning back to the cat lounging in his arms. "As for you, I'm going to... I'm gonna... I don't know yet but it won't be good."

 

"Nyow."

 

 

**1:17PM**

 

Poe hummed as he wrote - this song was going to be a hit! Goodbye coffee shop on the corner, hello open-air stage in the park! The lyrics were flowing, the riffs were catchy, the- the cat was lying over his open notepad.

 

  
_Breathe, Poe; if you hurt her, they'll never find your body_ , he mentally warned himself.

 

"I used to like you, I used to _trust_ you. For six years I thought you were a chill little kitty, now I see that demons look like ginger cats when they walk the Earth." He poked Mil a little but it did nothing to move her. "Actually, that was quite good. Can you please move so I can write that down?"

 

Millicent rolled over onto her back and stretched.

 

Poe sighed - Bren should really be paying him for dealing with this - and pulled out his phone to write it in his digital notes instead.

 

 

**1:52PM**

 

"Poe? Millie? I'm home."

 

Poe almost shouted for joy, now Bren could deal with his devil of a cat.

 

Millicent instantly jumped off of Poe's notebook and sauntered over to where Brendol was hanging up his coat on one of the pegs next to the door. When he bent down to take off his shoes, he gave in to the fury demon and stroked her, he then picked her up as he walked into the living room.

 

"So, how was your not-a-date date?" Poe smirked, closing his pad and lying down on the sofa, looking up at his roommate whose expression instantly soured as he finished talking.

 

"One; it was not a date, two; I got my laptop back so I can finally stop grading papers by hand like some Neanderthal." Bren snapped before starting to coo to Millie.

 

  
_Yeah, now you're all cute_ , the dark haired man thought bitterly.

 

"Well, your laptop isn't the only thing you got," Poe nodded to a dark hickey peaking from under Bren's shirt collar. "And _that_  says it was more than just a date."

 

The ginger's right hand flew to the left side of his neck, Mil easily jumping from his arms as he did so. "That git, I'll kill him." He muttered darkly.

 

Poe tipped his head back and laughed. "Sure you will, just after you suc-"

 

"I suggest you stop talking or I will end you, do you understand." Brendol leant over the back of the sofa and glared at him.

 

Poe's hands shot up next to his head in surrender.

 

With one final shift of his head, Bren headed off down the hall.

 

"So who topped?" Poe called after him.

 

"YOU'RE A DEAD MAN, DAMERON!"

 

 

**3:22PM**

 

"You didn't have too much trouble with Millicent today, did you?" Brendol asked, his calm having returned after trying to beat a laughing Poe to death with only his bunched up shirt (Poe chose not to mention the other red and purple marks Bren had been wearing). He now sat cross-legged on the armchair flicking through the large book that had been in the parcel for him.

 

Poe looked at where the cat was watching birds fly past outside the window.

 

"I suppose it could've been worse."

 

 

**00:03AM**

Poe was woken by something warm, furry, and wriggling brushing up against his face.

 

His eyesight was blurry from sleep and the lighting was minimal but that was definitely Millicent snuggling down next to him.

 

He smiled a little and closed his eyes again. "Yeah, I guess you're not all bad."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on painful fics, on character study fics, on shipping fics - but this! this is what I decide to post first into the Star Wars fandom.
> 
> if my mother ever found this it'd be 'what is this, I thought I taught you to appreciate the classics!'
> 
> I might write more for this 'verse one day...
> 
>  
> 
> beta'd by infinitejellybean  
> my tumblr is reluctantly-awesome, come say hi!  
> (formerly bakura-reads-yaoi)


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